Toe calk for non-metallic horseshoes



NOV. 8, 1966 c, WARD TOE CALK FOR NON-METALLIC HORSESHOES Filed Oct. 23, 1965 United States Patent 3,283,825 TOE CALK FOR NON-METALLIC HORSESI-IOES Clayton E. Ward, 9714 Ambro Lane, Woodson Terrace, St. Louis, Mo. Filed Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 503,37 8 Claims. (Cl. 168-29) This invention relates to improvements in horseshoes. More particularly, this invention relates to improvements in horseshoes Which are made from a yieldable material and which have stiff toe inserts embedded therein.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to pl'O- vide an improved horseshoe which is made from a yieldable material and which has a stiff toe insert embedded therein.

Horseshoes that are rigid and unyielding are objectionable, because they keep the hooves of the horses from expanding and contracting as those horses put their weights upon, and then subsequently lift, those hooves. Consequently, it would be desirable to provide horseshoes which were made from yieldable material. However, horseshoes which are made from yieldable material must be equipped with stiff toe inserts to enable those horseshoes to provide the desired traction for the horses hooves. Further, those toe inserts must be so formed that the embedding of those toe inserts within those horseshoes will not unduly weaken those horseshoes. The present invention provides a stiff toe insert which if formed so it can be embedded within a horseshoe of yieldable material without unduly weakening that horseshoe. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a stiff toe insert for horseshoes of resilient material which can be embedded within those horseshoes without unduly weakening those horseshoes.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention should become apparent from an examination of the drawing and accompanying description.

In the drawing and accompanying description a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown and described but it is to be understood that the drawing and accompanying description are for the purpose of illustration only and do not limit the invention and that the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing, FIG. 1 is a plan view one preferred embodiment of toe insert that is made in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention,

F FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the toe insert of FIG. 3 is the bottom view of the toe insert of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through the toe insert of FIG. 1, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 4-4 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is another sectional view through the toe insert of FIG. 1, it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 55 of FIG. 2, and it shows that toe insert after passages have been drilled in that toe insert but before that toe insert has been slotted and has had flanges formed thereon,

FIG. 6 is an elevational view, on a smaller scale, of a horseshoe in which the toe insert of the present invention has been incorporated,

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the horseshoe of FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 is a sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 1, through the horseshoe of FIG. 6, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 88 of FIG. 7,

FIG. 9 is a further sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 1, through the horseshoe of FIG. 6, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 99 of FIG. 7, and

FIG. 10 is yet another sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 1, through the horseshoe of FIG. 6, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 1010 in FIG. 7.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the numeral 20 generally denotes a preferred embodiment of toe insert that is made in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention. That toe insert is arcuate in plan, as shown particularly by FIGS. 1, 3 and 7; and the cruva ture of that toe insert is corn-parable to that of the closed end of the horseshoe 32 in which that toe insert is incorporated. That toe insert has an arcuate wall portion 22; and flanges 24 are bent outwardly of that arcuatewall portion while flanges 26 are bent inwardly of that arcuate wall portion. The flanges 24 and 26 are shown at the lower edge of the arcuate wall portion 22 in FIGS. 1 and 2, but the toe insert 20 is shown in its inverted position in FIGS. 1 and 2. In actual use, the toe insert will be in the :position shown by FIGS. 6- and 8 and will have the flanges 24 and 26 at the upper edge of the arcuate wall portion 22. Passages 28 are formed in the toe insert 20 adjacent the bends which are intermediate the arcuate wall portion 22 and four of the flanges 24 and 26. Because the passages 28 are located adjacent those bends, those passages are angularly displaced from the axis of generation of the arcuate wall portion 22.

In making the toe insert 20 provided by the present invention, a strip of a sturdy and rugged material, such as steel, is cut into a number of pieces of the desired length. Those pieces will be very stiff; and hence the toe inserts which are made from those pieces will be stiff. In the said preferred embodiment of the present invention, the strip of metal used in forming the pieces is one-half of an inch wide and one-eighth of an inch thick. The pieces which are cutoff from that strip of metal are bent to have the configuration shown by FIGS. 1, 3 and 7; and, thereafter, the passages 28 are drilled in those bent pieces. In the said preferred embodiment of the present invention, those passages have diameters of one-eighth of an inch. After the passages 28 have been drilled, the lower edge of the arcuate wall portion 22 in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 is slotted to form six spaced projections, and then those projections are bent outwardly and inwardly, respectively, to form the flanges 24 and 26. Where desired, the slots between the projections can be formed in a punch press, and then the flanges 24 and 26 can be formed in that same punch press immediately after the slots have been formed. The flanges 24 project outwardly at an angle of about one hundred and thirty-five degrees from the convex face of the arcuate wall portion 22, while the flanges 26 project inwardly at an angle of about one hundred and thirty-five degrees from the concave face of that arcuate wall portion.

The horseshoe 32, in which the toe insert 20 of the present invention is incorporated, will preferably be substantially identical to the horseshoe shown in my co-pending application Serial No. 456,350 for Horseshoes, which was filed May 17, 1965. The horseshoe 32 has arcuate ribs 34- and 36 formed on the upper surface thereof, and those ribs extend into grooves 42 and 44 which are formed in the bottom surface of the horses hoof 40. When that horseshoe is nailed onto the bottom of the horses foot, the ribs 34 and 36 extend into, and are confined and held by the grooves 42 and 44 in the horses hoof 40, as shown particularly by FIGS. Sand 10.

The toe insert 20 is embedded within the closed end of the horseshoe 32, as shown particularly by FIGS. 7 and 8; and part of the arcuate wall portion 22 of that toe insert projects downwardly below the bottom surface of that shoe, as shown particularly by FIG. 6. That downwardly projecting part of that arcuate wall portion will provide the desired traction for the horses hoof, The passages 18 and the flanges 24 and 26 will be wholly embedded within the horseshoe 32.

- In forming the horseshoe 32, the toe insert 20 will be set within a mold and will have the lower edge of the arcuate wall portion 22 thereof extending down into a recess in that mold. That recess in that mold will provide a sufliciently tight fit with that lower edge of that arcuate wall portion to keep any plastic material from engaging and adhering to that lower edge, as that lower edge is viewed in FIG. 6. The upper edge of the arcuate wall portion 22 will project above the level of that recess in that mold and will be surrounded and embedded by the plastic material introduced into that mold, as that toe insert is viewed in FIG. 8. The plastic material which is introduced into that mold will flow into the passages 28 and also will surround and embed the flanges 2d and 26. Further, that plastic material will flow into further recesses in that mold to form the arcuate ribs 34 and 36 as it forms the rest of the horseshoe 32. While different plastic materials could be used in making the horseshoe 32, nylon has been found to be very useful and serviceable.

As the plastic material hardens, it will bond to the outwardly-extending and inwardly-extending flanges 24 and 26; and it will also be solidly embedded within the passages 28. The flanges 24 and 26 will coact with the plastic material which embeds them and with the plastic material within the passages 28 to positively lock the toe insert 20 within the horseshoe 32. It will be noted that the flanges 24 and 26 have rounded free edges, and it will also be noted that those flanges merge smoothly into the arcuate wall portion 22. In addition, it will be noted that those flanges are inclined to the axis of generation of the arcuate wall portion 22.

All of this is important because it minimizes the shearing forces which that toe insert can apply to the horse shoe 32. The inclination of the flanges 24 and 26 to the axis of generation of the arcuate wall portion 22 is additionally important, because it enablcs'those flanges to strongly resist rotative forces which"a re applied to the toe insert 20 as the horses hoof causes the horseshoe 32 to strike the ground. It will also be noted that the passages 28 become inclined, in part, to the axis of generation of the arcuate wall portion 22 as the flanges 24 and 26 are bent; and hence the portions of the toe insert 20 which define the ends of those passages cannot establish planar shear forces for the material within those passages. The overall result is that the plastic material of the horseshoe 32 coacts with the toe insert 20to solidly lock that toe insert within that horseshoe; and the embedding of that toe insert within that horseshoe does not unduly weaken that horseshoe.

Whereas the drawing and accompanying description have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the form of the invention without affecting the scope thereof.

What I claim is:

1. A toe insert for a horseshoe which comprises:

(a) an arcuate wall portion,

(b) a plurality of flanges that are directed inwardly of the concave face of said arcuate wall portion,

() a plurality of flanges that are directed outwardly of the convex face of said arcuate wall portion, (d) said inwardly-directed flanges being displaced about one hundred and thirty-five degrees from the axis of generation of said arcuate wall portion,

(e) said outwardly-directed flanges being displaced about one hundred and thirty-five degrees from the axis of generation of said arcuate wall portion,

(f) said inwardly-directed flanges being integral with one edge of said arcuate wall portion,

(g) said outwardly-directed flanges being integral with said one edge of said arcuate wall portion,

(h) the free edges of said flanges being rounded in cross section, and

(i) passages in said toe insert that extend between said concave and convex faces of said arcuate wall section of said toe insert,

(j) said passages being inclined to said axis of generation of said arcuate wall portion,

(k) said passages being adjacent said one edge of said arcuate wall portion,

(1) whereby portions of said passages are in said arcuate wall portion and other portions of said passages are in said flanges,

(m) said flanges and said passages providing minimal shear forces for the horseshoe in which said toe insert is embedded,

(n) said flanges providing maximum resistance to rotative forces applied to said toe insert.

2. A horseshoe of yieldable material which has a stiff toe insert embedded therein said toe insert comprises:

(a) an arcuate wall portion,

(b) a plurality of flanges that are directed inwardly of the concave face of said arcuate wall portion, and

(c) a plurality of flanges that are directed outwardly of the convex face of said arcuate wall portion,

(d) said inwardly-directed flanges being integral with one edge of said arcuate wall portion,

(e) said outwardly-directed flanges being integral with said one edge of said arcuate Wall portion,

(f) said inwardly directed flanges being inclined to said arcuate wall portion,

(g) said outwardly-directed flanges being inclined to said arcuate wall portion,

(h) said flanges providing only small shear forces for said horseshoe,

(i) said flanges providing maximum resistance to rotative forces applied to said toe insert,

(j) said horseshoe embedding said flanges and said one edge of said arcuate wall portion.

3. A horseshoe as claimed in claim 2 wherein said toe insert has passages therein that extend between said concave and convex faces of said arcuate wall section of said toe insert, said passages being filled with the material of which said horseshoe is made.

4. A horseshoe as claimed in claim 2 wherein said toe insert has passages therein that extend between said concave and convex faces of said arcuate wall section of said toe insert, said passages being filled with the material of which said horseshoe is made, said passages being inclined to the axis of generation of said arcuate wall portion of said toe insert, said passages providing only small shear forces for said horseshoe.

5. A horseshoe as claimed in claim 2 wherein said toe insert has passages therein that extend between said concave and convex faces of said arcuate wall section of said toe insert, said passages being filled with the material of which said horseshoe is made, said passages being adjacent said one edge of said arcuate wall portion of said toe insert, whereby portions of said passages are in said arcuate wall portion and other portions of said passages are in said flanges, said passages providing only small shear forces for said horseshoe.

6. A horseshoe as claimed in claim 2 wherein said toe insert has passages therein that extend between said concave and convex faces of said arcuate wall section of said toe insert, said passages being filled with the material of which said horseshoe is made, said passages being inclined to the axis of generation of said arcuate wall portion of said toe insert, said passages being adjacent said one edge of said arcuate wall portion, whereby portions of said passages are in said arcuate wall portion and other portions of said passages are in said flanges, said passages providing only small shear forces for said horseshoe.

7. A toe insert for a horseshoe which comprises:

(a) an arcuate wall portion,

(b) a plurality of flanges that are directed inwardly of the concave face of said arcuate wall portion, and

(c) a plurality of flanges that are directed outwardly of the convex face of said arcuate wall portion,

(d) said inwardly-directed flanges being integral with one edge of said arcuate wall portion,

3,283,825 5 6 (e) said outwardly-directed flanges being integral with material of which said horseshoe is made, said passages said one edge of said arcuate wall portion, providing only small shear forces for said horseshoe. (if) said inwardly-directed flanges being inclined to said arcuate Wall portion, (g) said outwardly-directed flanges being inclined to References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS said arwate Wall p 599,350 2 1398 lso 168*29 (h) said flanges providing only small shear forces for 1 090 055 3 /1914 Heiselmann 1 3 37 said horseshoe, 1,191,002 7/1916 Hershberger 168-35 (i) said horseshoe embedding said flanges and said 1,951,700 3/ 1934 Liepman 16829 one edge of said arcuate Wall portion. 10 2,197,166 4/ 1940 Wheeler et a1 168-4 8. A toe insert for a horseshoe as claimed in claim 7 2,705,536 4/1955 Phreaner 168-14 wherein said toe insert has passages therein that extend 3,050,133 3/1962 tn r et a1. 16831 X between said concave and convex faces of said arcuate 3,090,713 5/ 1963 DiXOIl 163-7 wall section of said toe insert, said passages being in- 15 elined to the axis of generation of said arcuate wall por- SAMUEL KOREN P'lmmy Examine" tion of said toe insert, said passages being filled with the ALDRICI MEDBERY, Examine"- 

7. A TOE INSERT FOR A HORSESHOE WHICH COMPRISES: (A) AN ARCUATE WALL PORTION, (B) A PLURALITY OF FLANGES THAT ARE DIRECTED INWARDLY OF THE CONCAVE FACE OF SAID ARCUATE WALL PORTION, AND (C) A PLURALITY OF FLANGES THAT ARE DIRECTED OUTWARDLY OF THE CONVEX FACE OF SAID ARCUATE WALL PORTION, (D) SAID INWARDLY-DIRECTED FLANGES BEING INTEGRAL WITH ONE EDGE OF SAID ARCUATE WALL PORTION, (E) SAID OUTWARDLY-DIRECTED FLANGES BEING INTEGRAL WITH SAID ONE EDGE OF SAID ARCUATE WALL PORTION, (F) SAID INWARDLY-DIRECTED FLANGES BEING INCLINED TO SAID ARCUATE WALL PORTION, (G) SAID OUTWARDLY-DIRECTED FLANGES BEING INCLINED TO SAID ARCUATE WALL PORTION, (H) SAID FLANGES PROVIDING ONLY SMALL SHEAR FORCES FOR SAID HORSESHOE, (I) SAID HORSESHOE EMBEDDING SAID FLANGES AND SAID ONE EDGE OF SAID ARCUATE WALL PORTION. 